Ten-Man Al Nassr Complete Late 3-2 Comeback at Al Ettifaq

Al Nassr overturned a two-goal deficit with 10 men to defeat Al Ettifaq 3-2 in a dramatic Saudi Pro League match in Dammam on Tuesday. Sadio Mane scored twice in the final 16 minutes, including the winning goal in the 90th minute, as the reigning champions preserved their perfect start to the 2026-27 league season.

Watch the highlights:

The contest changed in the 12th minute when Al Nassr goalkeeper Bento was sent off for bringing down Mousa Dembele outside the penalty area. Ange Postecoglou responded by withdrawing Angelo and sending on Abdulrahman Al Otaibi in goal, leaving the visitors to play the remainder of the match a player short.

Arab News reported that Ondrej Duda opened the scoring with a long-range shot in the 31st minute. Alvaro Medran then doubled Al Ettifaq’s advantage with another strike from distance shortly before halftime. Cristiano Ronaldo, making his first start of the season, was replaced immediately after the break as Postecoglou changed his approach.

Al Nassr began to create chances in the second half, hitting the post and having a Mane goal disallowed for offside. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 74th minute when Joao Felix released Mane, who stayed onside and finished past goalkeeper Turki Baljawsh. Three minutes later, Felix supplied a corner for Abdulelah Al Amri to head in the equalizer.

The turnaround was completed in the 90th minute. Substitute Sami Al Najei found Mane positioned on the shoulder of the Al Ettifaq defense, and the forward converted his second goal to make it 3-2. The Saudi Pro League’s official report confirmed that the result kept Al Nassr top after Matchweek 3 with three wins from three.

Postecoglou attributed the comeback to the courage and belief of his players in difficult heat and humidity. Explaining Ronaldo’s withdrawal, the coach said the captain had not played much football and that the team needed a different approach for the second half while down to 10 men. The confirmed result gave Al Nassr all three points after a match in which they had trailed by two goals with little more than 15 minutes remaining.